Alone together
by feel-likeflying
Summary: "So, I was thinking about going out of town for a weekend." Liza said. "That sounds – interesting. Am I invited?" He joked. She sighed dramatically. "Well, I mean if you have to come. I guess that I could cope with that." - Liza & Charles go away for the weekend to his house in Pound Ridge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Good evening my fellow Younger fans. This is going to be a small story laid out over 3 chapters. It's written and ready to go. I haven't written anything for Younger so far so please bear with me. I'm still trying to figure out the rating for chapter 2 - T or M, what do you think? This one is for the #TeamCharles facebook peeps! Shoutout to blaze78-caskettalways for introducing me to the series and for the writing prompt! :)_

 **Disclaimer** : I really _really_ wouldn't be writing this if I had any control over the show.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

''Please tell me that you did not just compliment Diana on her dress.'' She said rushing through the doorway. His eyes were wide while he motioned for her to close the door behind her.

A guilty look in his eye. ''I did - not?''

She shook her head. ''Oh Charles.'' Men could be so blind when it comes to other woman flirting with them. ''She's going to bring that up the _entire_ week!''

''Why would she do that?'' He stood up from behind his desk and slowly walked over to her.

''Really?'' She said sarcastically. He laughed.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist. ''I can not see what would be the problem of telling a woman that she looks amazing in a dress.''

''Well first of all she isn't-''

''You'' He said quickly.

''That is correct and-'' He shut her up with a chaste kiss, which ended way too quickly in her opinion.

''Oh no mister, you have made my day so much more harder then what it was supposed to be.''

He snorted. ''You'll be fine - just get her some of that fancy coffee you make.''

''You are toeing a fine line today.'' He laughed and boy did she love it when he was being playful. It made her long for more time with him to discover ''So I was thinking about going out of town for a weekend.''

''That sounds – interesting. Am I invited?'' He joked.

She sighed dramatically. ''Well, I mean if you _have to_ _come_. I guess that I could cope with that.''

''I have to come-'' She put his hand over his mouth and faked shock.

''Charles, I would never!'' He couldn't contain his laughter as he looked at her face. She shrugged. ''Okay, yeah I totally would.''

Charles suddenly went quiet as he was reminded of their relationship the year before. Or the lack of any, mostly. He stole another kiss and let her go – and not a moment too soon. A knock on the door startled them both and they jumped apart as if someone had burned them. He rapidly straightened his tie and cleared his throat. Liza on the other hand had become immensely interested in the closest book she could get her hands on. _Crown of Kings._ A chill went down her spine. ''Come in.'' He said.

Kelsey marched in with a mischievous look on her face. ''You know guys, one day, someone is going to come through this door when you are in a compromising position and it's not going to be me.'' _Don't remind me_ , Liza thought. The memory of the janitor almost walking in on them still fresh on her mind.

Apart from the lovely shade of red that Charles was now wearing that matched his tie - he and Liza were now on the opposite sides of the room. As if that would have fooled Kelsey. She shook her head with a teasing smile on her face. ''If you are done here I would love to hear your opinion on this new manuscript we just received _miss Miller_.''

''I'll be right there, _miss Peters_.'' Liza quipped, slightly embarrassed that Kelsey had caught them red handed. Kelsey looked between the two of them and shook her head again. They were a mess. So cute. Not that she would _ever_ admit that to Liza. She closed the door behind her again and made her way back to the office.

Charles waved a hand through his hair. ''We really do need to be more careful.''

She sighed. ''I know.'' She was about to go back to work when he found his ability to speak again.

''About this weekend. Let's go off grid.''

Her heart fluttered at the thought. ''I certainly like that idea.''

''We could go my place in Pound Ridge. It's pretty remote except for the convenience store a mile away.''

She shot him a curious look. ''Really? After what happened last time we were there?'' The fact that he took a punch for her still amazed her, but he shouldn't have been put in that position - The fact that she was still talking to Josh from time to time still amazed him, but then again he was still on a friendly base with his ex wife even though she had left him and his kids for over a year.

Charles shook his head to get rid of the thought and instead focused on what was right in front of him. He lowered his gaze, letting his eyes roam over her body. ''I was actually thinking about making _other kind_ of memories if you don't mind.'' She blushed, realisation dawning on her.

''You don't want to get punched in the face again? I'm so surprised!'' He could see that she was joking, but that didn't cover the look of concern on her face.

He pecked her on the cheek. ''Get out of here before we get into trouble again.''

She shot him one last longing look before slowly leaving his office. Charles reached for his tie again, loosening it. He smiled, shook his head and sat down behind his desk again and opened his macbook. That woman was going to be the death of him, but he sure as hell was going to enjoy every minute of it.

* * *

Friday evening couldn't come fast enough. He was going to pick her up at her place after work and they would drive up to Pound Ridge together. It was only when he suggested that he'd pick her up at home that he realised that he'd never seen her house. _Well_. From the inside. The sidewalk in front of her house however, now that was something that he could describe by heart.

He gathered his things and neatly put them in his suitcase. The house was quiet. Pauline had offered to take the girls for the weekend way before he had made plans with Liza and it was only now that he was grateful for that offer. His girls had been spending a bit more time with their mother now that he and Pauline were officially divorced. Charles grabbed his stuff and made his way downstairs. After completing a final check, he stepped outside and locked his front door. He grabbed his phone and shot her a quick message.

* * *

A text message popped up on her phone.

 _Charles_ ; I'm on my way, be there in 10.

Liza almost jumped of the couch as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Maggie held her hand on her chest as she tried to even out her breathing again. ''Liza, would you please chill. You scared the shit out of me!''

''I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to go away this weekend.''

Maggie took another sip of her drink as she repositioned herself on the couch. ''Excited is the word for it alright. You're all jumpy.''

Liza opened her mouth to respond but chose not to instead. It had been a long hard week without them being together for a longer period than five minutes. They really did deserve this break.

''So when am I going to meet this Charles who has gotten my girl her panties in a twist?''

Liza again bit her tongue to stop herself from speaking too soon. ''Soon enough Maggie.''

She stood up and walked to her room to grab her weekend bag from her bed. Liza checked her hair in the mirror and made sure that her messy bun was still 'messy' enough.

The bell rang.

She didn't even have the chance to react to the bell as she'd already heard Maggie running for the buzzer. Liza shook her head and swiftly finished packing. Just as she zipped the bag shut she heard voices coming from the living room.

''You're taller then what I imagined you to be.'' Charles looked at Maggie and chuckled softly. Liza was already on her way to save him.

''I hope it doesn't disappoint you?'' He said with a hint of doubt in his voice, though his face told her otherwise.

She laughed. ''Oh god no honey, it's just you're way more man then I can handle.''

Liza caught up with them. ''You don't have filter, do you?'' She lowered her voice so only Maggie could hear. ''Any man is more man then you can handle.''

''As if you didn't know that already.'' Maggie kissed Liza on her cheek and shook Charles's hand. ''Charles, it was so lovely to meet you. Now play nice and enjoy your time together.''

The polite thank you's and good bye's were exchanged and before they knew it they were on their way. He had grabbed her bag and put his other hand on her lower back. As Liza looked back over her shoulder she saw Maggie giving her the thumbs up signal. Gosh, she really did love Maggie.

* * *

''Please tell me again what is this called again?''

''Spotify!'' He nodded, trying to keep his eyes on the road. It proved to be quite difficult though as she sat next to him, her (in his words) sexy glasses on and with a new manuscript in her hands. ''It is an app where you can listen to music. Like YouTube, except without the videos. You can type in any song on your phone and it will just pop up over the sound system. Now with that connected to the car radio I can play anything I want-''

He interrupted her abruptly. ''Play 'take my breath away' by Berlin.''

She blushed and started searching. ''Very fine choice if I may say so.''

''Yeah, I thought so too.'' He moved his hand from the gearbox, found her hand in her lap and intertwined their fingers. ''Only a few more miles till we get there.'' He gently placed a kiss on her hand and then put their hands down again. They stayed silent for a while, content with each other's company. ''Would you mind if we stay in the guest house?''

She looked up from her page, a surprised look on her face. ''Of course not, that would be lovely.''

''Good, because I believe that we have some unfinished business that we need to take care of.''

 _Oh?_ Oh.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for the reviews! I hope that you'll enjoy this one as well.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Younger. There would be so much more domestic Charliza scenes, honestly.

* * *

''We should probably get some groceries before we get-'' She stopped in her tracks to look at him. ''hung up on other stuff.'' He laughed and pulled her close, his hand caressing her lower back as he pecked her lips. ''Yeah, I didn't know how to bring that casually.'' _Good God_ , with the rate they were going they weren't even going to make it to the house.

''That is a _very_ logical train of thoughts, but you won't have to worry about the groceries.'' She raised her brow and he felt the need to explain. ''I already had someone tidy up the place and fill the fridge - though I'm pretty sure that shopping with you would be a treat.''

''Oh yeah, no you should totally come shopping with me sometime. Caitlin is always exhausted by the end of the trip. We can't even go to an IKEA any more – the word jokes – it is all too much.''

He laughed, even though he hadn't actually spoken to Caitlin he could imagine that she was much like her mother. ''I will.''

Charles had grabbed their bags from the car and managed to balance them in such a way that he could still hold her hand.

''Did you have dinner before leaving?''

''I haven't actually. You?''

''Me neither. How about I whip up some spaghetti – nothing too fancy.''

''That sounds good-''

He abruptly interrupted her. ''Wait.''

She stopped in her tracks. ''What?''

They were standing in the exact spot where he'd taken a punch by her lovely ex whose name shall not be used. Charles set down the bags and pulled her flush to him. She put her arms around him and softly stroke his back. He captured her lips in a possessive kiss and she kept wondering whether she would ever be able to breathe again. It's a good thing that he was holding her because she was also pretty sure that her legs just stopped working.

''Alright, that was number one.''

''Hm?''

She could swear that he was blushing. ''I might have made a mental list of stuff that I have to do with you this weekend.''

''That's interesting actually – because I did the same thing.'' They both laughed and gave each other a hug before Charles picked up their bags and threw his arm around Liza again. ''So about page 58-''

* * *

Even though Liza had seen the inside of the guest house before, she was still surprised by the sheer size of the place. Charles had refused to let her help in the kitchen so she had to settle for a bar-stool at the bar in the kitchen and a glass of white wine – and staring at him while he was cooking, obviously.

''Liza? You okay?''

She snapped out of her thoughts again. ''Yes, of course, why wouldn't I be?''

''I said your name twice but you didn't respond.'' He stirred the sauce again and turned the stove off with a concerned look on his face.

She shrugged. ''Lost in my thoughts.''

''Good thoughts, I hope?''

''Actually, I was thinking about how it was at least ten minutes ago since I last kissed you.''

He chuckled and moved to wash his hands. ''Oh? Well, we can't have that, can we?''

Charles walked across the kitchen to her place at the bar. Teasingly, she turned her chair around so she could face him. He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear again. She had already closed her eyes in anticipation, making his heart flutter. Softly, he kissed her forehead, cheek and nose. He could hear her sharp intake of air as she opened her eyes again to face him. He saw nothing but love beaming from her face and he was pretty sure that he looked the same in her eyes. Tenderly, he kissed her with all the self-control that a grown man could possibly have.

The next kiss was urgent and he put his hands on her legs to slowly pull them apart. She went willingly and pulled him close to her. For once, she was thankful that he wasn't wearing a three piece suit. His hands roamed her body as she went for the buttons on his shirt. Once completely unbuttoned she pushed the shirt of his shoulders. How he managed to maintain such a good figure with the amount of work he was doing was still a mystery to her.

She skimmed her finger over his bottom lip before pulling him into another searing kiss. He had now fully pushed her against the kitchen counter and she could feel him pressing against her leg. It was then that her stomach made the most whale like noise it had ever made.

They parted to catch their breath but instantly regretting their decision.

''We should probably eat first.''

''I think I'm good.'' She whispered against his lips, before capturing them in another fierce kiss.

He laughed and rested his head against her shoulder. ''Your stomach is trying to tell me something else.''

She let her head fall against his chest. ''I was kind of hoping that you hadn't heard that.''

''Come on, I'll get you your food.'' He said as he slowly let her go and tried to step away to grab his shirt from the ground.

Liza kept him at arm's length. A thought that had crossed her mind a few times actually made its way to her mouth. ''Keep it off, will ya?''

He gave her a surprised look which instantly turned into lust. ''Yes, madam.''

* * *

The spaghetti was even better than expected, though it might have had something to do that they were both pretty hungry. After they'd finished eating, she had picked up the plates and filled the sink with water in order to clean the dishes. He had grabbed a towel and started drying. Liza searched her brain for the last time David had even offered to help her. _Memory not found_.

''I was actually really looking forward to dessert.'' She said teasingly, eyeing his bare chest. He put away the plates before turning his attention back to her.

''Oh? Were you now.'' He said as he lowered his head to kiss her neck.

She grinned ''Yeah, you said something about tiramisu in the car and I haven't quite been able to shake that thought.''

Silly man that he actually was, he actually walked towards the fridge to pull out the ingredients. Liza stopped him and pushed the door to the refrigerator closed, defending it with her body.

''I was kidding Charles.'' Realisation dawned on his face as he tried not to laugh too loud. ''Could you show me where the master bedroom is?''

''I can do you one better'' He said as he effortlessly lifted her up so her legs could be wrapped around his waist.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _I thought that I wrote this story a few months ago, turns out it was almost 2 years ago. I'm really sorry about the late update guys, but thank you for the encouraging words. Quarantine has made me revisit my love for writing. This is the final chapter, I hope you enjoyed the ride! Please stay home and stay safe. x_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

They would have to come up for air at some point. _Right_? Liza wasn't even sure what the last thing was that she ate. It took her a moment to find the memory of her eating pasta with Charles last night. The carbs thankfully did their work just fine.

Charles was still fast asleep. Carefully, she unwrapped herself from his grasp and quietly walked over to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror to check the damage – he'd given quite some attention to her neck and it was definitely visible. Instead of trying to cover it up, like she usually would, she simply admired it for few seconds longer and let her hand gently brush. Liza smiled at the memory and turned around to start the shower.

She was startled by a knock on the bathroom door. ''Come on in.''

Charles slowly opened to door to reveal himself wearing nothing except for a goofy grin on his face.

''I wasn't sure if you would be okay with me casually barging in here.'' Liza waved him off, there are definitely worse things going on in this world. He continued. ''You weren't there when I woke up. I was kind of looking forward to that.'' He shyly admitted as he softly gave her a kiss on her forehead.

''I'm sorry about that.'' She pulled him in for a slow kiss. He moaned softly and now she was even more convinced she would have to make this right with him. ''I think I can make it up to you, though?''

He gave her a curious look.

Liza just grabbed his hand and led him to stand under the shower.

* * *

It took some time for them to reach the kitchen and _actually_ prepare breakfast. She was clad in his dress shirt from last night and it pleased Charles much more than she could've imagined. She was just about to find out how much, but her attention was brought back to the pancakes she was making. He gently pushed _his_ shirt from her shoulder and started kissing up her neck, touching the sensitive spot with his tongue once again. She, in return, pushed him away to keep herself focused on her task. He chuckled at her and took a step back – holding his hands in the air in surrender. At this point she would never get anything done with this man around.

Charles was a lot cuddlier than she ever could've dreamed of. He'd yet to leave her alone for a few minutes for her battery to recharge. She. Was. Exhausted. The fact that he was only wearing a pair of boxers didn't make it any easier.

''What are the plans for today?'' He asked, flipping the pancake expertly.

She had walked to the other side of the counter, leaned on it and let her head rest on her hand. ''I was thinking that we could go shopping, maybe even get some-'' She could see the flicker of disappointment in his eyes and therefor couldn't even go on with the cruel joke she was making. She pulled him closer and gave him a chaste kiss. ''I am joking. Maybe we can finally check out the pool?'' He nodded in agreement. ''I need to work on my tan.''

''Well, it's not like you would have to wear anything.'' He said innocently, not looking up from his pancakes. ''I mean, the next-door neighbours are a few miles away. This is private property, you know.'' He added the pancake to the others.

''I can't believe you just said that.'' He laughed, finally breaking his staring contest with the pancakes only to look her deeply in the eyes. ''That was one of the sexiest things anyone has ever said to me.'' She said, blushing.

''Really now?'' He put a fresh pancake on her plate and grabbed one for himself as well. He contemplated his thoughts for a second and decided to just ignore his filter. ''You know, if it was up to me you wouldn't be wearing anything at all the entire weekend, but I'm not complaining. I like this state of dress more than anything.''

''I might be tempted.'' She chipped, trying to play it off as casual, but honestly, not a single man had ever talked to her in this way. Then again; she had never dated Charles Brooks before. ''Let's just finish eating first. Any chance you've got some sunscreen in your bag?''

''I don't actually.'' He said thoughtfully. ''There might be a long-lost bottle of it somewhere in the main house though. We can check it out after breakfast if you want.''

''Yes, lets'.'' If Liza had been honest, she would've said that she was dying to see the inside of the main house once again. ''I need to find my bathing suit before we do that though.''

He'd sat down next to her, picking at his pancakes rather than actually eating them. ''You don't have to.''

She laughed. ''I have created a monster, haven't I?''

''At least I'm your monster.'' ''I just heard how that sounded, wasn't all that charming to be honest. Corny at most.''

''My corny monster.'' He laughed as she had realised her mistake. _Replace the letter already Liza_. It's only the truth.

* * *

Charles looked around the house, unsure where to start. ''I think that we have a few options – one of the three bathrooms, the supply closet and maybe even the master bedroom.''

''This place has _three_ bathrooms? Jesus Charles, just how rich are you really?'' He knew that she was joking, but he was still quite embarrassed. She hadn't realised she'd said it until she tore her look away from, what she assumed as an expensive painting, and actually looked him in the eye. ''Sorry, I didn't mean it like that.''

''It's fine, I keep forgetting that I have been fortunate in life. It's tough to see it sometimes when you're always working and you see the numbers going down instead of up.'' He gave her a sad smile.

She immediately took his hand in hers and held it to her chest. ''I can only imagine the kind of pressure you're under sometimes.''

''I think that the worst part is that I can't really discuss it with anyone. I mean, I love you, but there's some information out there that I just can't share with personnel. It sounds stupid, but it really is quite lonely out there on the top.'' He'd said it so casually, that she actually hadn't quite processed what he'd just said. _He- oh._

It was only the second he'd scanned her face for her reaction, when he realized that he had slipped. Badly.

 _Don't overthink this, Liza._

''I think we should check out the bathrooms first. I mean, that's where I would keep it- if I were Pauline. That doesn't mean that I think I'm like Pauline- quite the opposite really. I honestly can't believe I just said that- She's still the mother of your children. As a mother I think that the bathroom might be our best shot-'' she rattled. Charles, still in shock over his own blunder, barely registered what she said. Why were they in the main house again? Sunscreen. Got it.

''The master bathroom is this way.'' He said quietly, pointing her to the stairway. They quietly walked up the stairs. ''I'll check out the one on the right.''

''Yeah, I'll do this one.'' Yeah, she'd fucked up again.

* * *

He'd quickly returned to his cheery self and had assigned himself to the drinks. Happy with his creation, he walked up to Liza and showed her the result. ''Charles. It's barely noon!''

''It's five somewhere.'' He mumbled as he handed her the amaretto sour. ''Trust me, you'll love this. It's so sweet it might make your teeth fall out.''

She laughed. ''Sounds perfect.''

He sat down next to her on one of the lounge chairs and tried to remember when the last time was that he was so relaxed. Liza had already picked up her book and had started reading again. By the time he looked at her again half of her glass was empty and she'd read at least thirty pages by the looks of it.

''You okay?''

He instantly snapped out of it. ''Yeah, I'm just lost in my thoughts.''

She put her book down next to her, careful to keep it on the right page. ''Want to talk about it?''

He chuckled. ''Nope.''

''Ah, okay.'' She said, looking back at her book. It really wasn't that weird that a man wouldn't talk about his emotions. No big shock there.

''I kinda want to act on it now, though.'' She lifted her brow – curious about his plans. He stood up and walked over to her chair. After giving her a chaste kiss, he cautiously picked her up bridal style and started to walk towards the kitchen door. Or so she thought.

She had instantly put her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. This was a good thing though, she realised soon enough. As Charles finally reached the kitchen door, he turned around quickly and let himself – and his companion – fall in the pool. Liza shrieked as he laughed.

Once they finally came up for air, both of them just lost it and started laughing uncontrollably. ''You did not just do that.''

She splashed him to try and get the grin off his face. ''Kinda did.''

''Oh, you're gonna pay for this mister-'' She didn't have time to finish her sentence as he subtly shut her up with a passionate kiss. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. Charles moaned at the feel of her body against his. He turned them around and successfully pinned her against the side of the pool.

* * *

Charles chuckled. ''I can never let Bianca and Nicole swim in this pool ever again.''

''Should've thought about that before you dropped me in there.'' Liza said, pushing her wet hair back.

''My thoughts weren't exactly with my kids Liza.'' He said, embarrassed with himself now that he said it out loud. ''The pool with the main house is bigger so there is just a tiny chance they might not ever step foot in this again.''

''Until they're old enough and don't want to stay in the main house with their dad anymore, but rather go in the guest house so that they can sneak a guy over.''

His eyes went wide. ''I've successfully been repressing that thought for a few months now, thank you for that one.''

''Been there, done that with Caitlin. It's going to happen sooner or later.''

''I'm starved.'' He said, subtly trying to chance the subject. Liza stomach growled in return.

''I guess I could eat.''

''I'll fix us something.'' Charles swam over to Liza, gave her another mind-numbing kiss and then climbed out of the pool.

Liza admired his backside and then pushed herself under water again. She swam a few more laps before pushing herself out of the pool as well. She quickly dried herself of and walked over to the chair where she sat earlier. Once seated, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, book still opened on the page she had left off on her lap.

* * *

''Are you telling me that we miraculously skipped lunch and the sun is about to go down?'' Charles nodded, an amusing smile on his face.

''Yeah, you were so into your book that I figured you could use some alone time.'' He replied and a slight amusement could be detected in his voice. He'd put his shirts back on. Now this would be disappointing to Liza, but at least now she could pull him at his shirt and peck his lips. Charles sat down on the lounge chair next to her and kissed her back enthusiastically.

''I have never skipped lunch voluntarily in my life.''

He laughed and slowly removed his hand from under her shirt. ''That's where your mind was? I must've not been doing a very good job.'' She blushed. ''I put some pizza's in the oven and they're done in about five minutes. Care to join me in the kitchen?'' She nodded and stood up to follow him into the kitchen.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the set-up in the kitchen. He'd dimmed the lights, put some candles on the table and he'd had some fancy wine glasses as well. There was a salad on the table as well and Charles stood there, waiting patiently for her to sit down. ''This was number three on my list. Two was definitely the pool.'' She couldn't help it but laugh, this man and his list.

''What's number four?'' She dared to ask.

* * *

Day turned into night and before they knew it, they were only a few hours away from having to leave their little bubble.

Liza laid her head on his chest, throwing an arm over him in the process as well. Charles wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even tighter. ''This is way better.'' Referring to them waking up together.

She still had her eyes closed but the smile on her face indicated that she was conscious. ''Really? You didn't like us showering together?''

''Definitely top ten.'' He mumbled.

She immediately opened her eyes. ''You are ranking our- _intimate moments_?''

Charles laughed and put his hand over his face in embarrassment. ''I think it's best for me to go with 'no comment' on this one.'' Liza gently peeled away his hand from his face.

''Well, now I need to know.'' He raised his brows. '' Number one?''

He considered her question for a moment. ''How about I show you?'' He said before pushing her into the bed and positioning himself over her. She let out a soft moan and could only gasp as he started kissing down her neck.

* * *

''We have about three more hours before we have to leave. Is there anything you want to do before we leave for the real world again?'' He said before taking another sip of his coffee. They'd only just made it out of bed, only to get distracted in the shower again and therefor taking another two hours before actually making lunch.

Liza sighed. ''So much.''

''I just wanted you to know that I really enjoyed having you here this weekend. We should definitely try to do this more often.''

She laughed. ''That sounded quite formal to me.''

''Yeah, I know. I just don't know how to say it differently. I'm having a hard time translating my thoughts into words lately.'' Well, he wasn't, she realized. He had however told her he loved her and she'd still hadn't said it back. He could see the tiny wheels in her mind spinning over time. ''Take a walk with me.'' He held out his hand and waited for her to join him. ''Liza, I've thought about this for a while and after yesterday we should probably discuss this even though I'd rather not.'' Both were looking at the grass as they made their way across the property. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to her, making her look at him. ''It's quite simply really, I am in love with you and I love you. I don't expect you to say it back to me right away and I don't want you to say it right now because it will feel like I pressured you. Just- take your time.''

Liza stood there for a moment, letting it all soak in. ''I've loved you since the moment you put your coat around me to protect me from _our beloved_ Edward L.L. Moore.''

''Please don't say that.'' He groaned at the memory. ''I was going to ask you out, you know. When we our having a drink after the ceremony.''

''I think I knew that.'' She admitted. ''I would've said yes Charles. Even though it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do at the time.''

He gave her a soft kiss. ''I know.''

''I'm glad we're here now.''

''Can't argue with that.'' He pecked her lips once again. ''What can I say, all things happen for a reason. I think it was all supposed to work out this way. We'll have to see this as a positive thing. You and me. Here.''

She smiled. ''I think that's why I love you.''

* * *

Liza had helped Charles load up the car. They would only have to make another round around the property to make sure everything was locked up and ready to go. Once done, they settled in the car. They'd made a short stop to grab some quality coffee to-go before resuming their journey. The radio was quietly playing. All was well.

They'd both been quiet for a while. Liza had been on her phone reading emails and helping Charles navigate, but they seemed alright with the silence. Enough had been said over the weekend for them to just sit there in a comfortable silence. At some point Charles mentioned that he would like to do this again soon and Liza had instantly agreed. He'd grabbed her hand in response. On the background she could hear a cheery song playing. _We can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone. We should be alone together._ She simply couldn't help but agree.


End file.
